Bezel for panel openings and retainer therefor



United States Patent [72] inventor Lloyd A. Griffith 3.337708 8/l967 Cerveny et a] 200/168(C) c/o Griffith Plastic Products Company, 3.453.408 7/] 969 Mune 200/168(C) 1027 California Drive, Burlingame, Calif. Primary 0 Jones 94010 [2]] App! No 814,933 AIIOME) Julian Caplan [2 Filed Apr. 10, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 29, 1970 54 BEZEL FOR PANEL OPENINGS AND RETAINER ABSTRACT: A bezel fits into and has generally the same THEREFOR shape as. the opening in a panel. The bezel has an edge fitting 7 Chims, 4 Drawing Figs over the outside of the panel opening, an inward slanted main 1 body portion which fits within the panel opening, and studs [5..] US. Cl 200/168 projecting i i the panel. A retainer ofthe same Shape as the [51] Int. Cl H0lh 9/02 opening fits behind the pane] and is apertured to receive the [50] held of Search 200/ 168A. studs p nuts fini over the studs hold the bezel and 168B 168C? 317/101 retainer in place. A lens covering the opening is held between the bezel and retainer. Digital read-out tubes and similar ob- [56] References cued 1 jects inside the panel may be observed through the lens. The UMTED STATES PATENTS studs may also serve to align brackets for a circuit board on 3,091,679 5/1963 Norden 200/168(B) which the tubes are mounted.

26 23 32 l 21 I 28 I 22 I PATENTEU DEC29 19m FIGQT INVENTOR.

LLOYD A. GRIFFITH ATTOR NEY BEZEL FOR PANEL OPENINGS AND RETAINER THEREFOR This invention relates to a new and improved bezel for panel openings and a retainer therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to a simplified structure to hold in place a bezel which surrounds a panel opening. The structure eliminates the necessity of drilling holes in the panel for screws to retain the bezel and also avoids use of other complicated clamping means to hold the bezel in place.

Another feature of the invention is the fact that a lens which covers the bezel opening is held in position in the bezel by the same means which holds the bezel in place.

An important advantage of the invention is the provision of an attractive bezel frame for the panel opening'which also facilitates observation of the tubes or other indicatorswithin the panel. 1

The panel opening may be closed off means of a lens. Such lens may be clear glass or plastic or may be a smoked glass color, such as a red or yellow color or may be of a polaroid construction.

A feature of the invention isthe fact that the structure accommodates tolerances in the size of panel openings and also accommodates different thicknesses of panels.

In additions, the device may be used to-position a circuit board or other electronic components by the same means as the bezel is held in place.

A further feature of the invention is the rapidity with which the structure may be installed and removed as required.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a panel in which the bezel is installed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view takensubstantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view as observed along line 4-4 of FIG. 2..

A panel 11 for certain types of electronic equipment and the like is formed with a generally rectangular opening 12 for observation of components located inside the panel. Panel 11 is made of a different thicknesses of material and the present invention accommodates variations in thicknesses and tolerances in the size of opening I2.

Fitting into opening 12 is a bezel 13, the main body portion of which is dimensioned to fit within the panel opening 12 having an inwardly converging inner edge 14 and parallel inwardly converging outer edge 16. A peripheral flange 17 is dimensioned larger than opening 12 and to improve the fit of flange against the front face of panel 11 the rear face of flange 17 may be formed with a bevel l8. Bezel '13 thus has a rectangular opening 19 which is smaller than opening 12. The rear face of the main body of bezel 13 is formed with a recess 21 which is rectangular in shape. A lens 22 fits into recess 21.

Lens 22 may be of various materials. Thus the lens may be of clear glass or plastic or it may be a one-way polaroid material or it may be of smoked glass and colored red, yellow or the like. Essentially the lens closes off the opening in the bezel and improves the readability of the element behind the'lens as hereinafter explained.

A plurality of studs 23 project rearwardly from bezel 13. Preferably there are three studs at the top and three at the bottom but the number and spacing is subject to variation. As best shown in FIG. 2, the studs 23 fit closely within opening 12 in panel 11. For purposes hereinafter explained, the bottom corner studs 23a, may be formed noncircular as is best shown in FIG. 4, whereas the other studs are preferably round in cross section.

A retainer 26 is positioned behind panel 11, said retainer being rectangular and having an opening 27 formed by slanted edge 28. The outside edge 29 is dimensioned larger than opening 12. Spaced at intervalsalong the front face of retainer 26 are tips 31 which bear against the back of panel 11. The opposite face of retainer 26 has second tips 31a which are shorter than tips 31. Retainer 26 is reversible so that where the panel 11 is relatively thin the longer tips 3] face the same whereas when the panel is thicker the retainer 26 is reversed so that the tips 31a a bear against same. Thus the structure is held securely in place regardless of the thickness of panel 1 1.

Various retaining means may be used to hold the structure assembled in the panel opening. A preferred form is a socalled Tinnerman push-on nut 32 which is formed with an opening for stud 23 and slips 33. The nut 32 flexes because of the slits 33 so that it may be pushed onto the stud 23 and the uneven edges of the opening grip against the stud and hold the retaining means securely in place. By twisting nut 32 and in effect unthreading the same the nut may be removed when required.

A typical installation for which the present invention is best suited is shown in FIG. 2. A circuit board 36 has mounted thereon a row of digital readout tubes 37. Such tubes are displayedbehind the lens 22 (see FIG. 1). To locate board 36 relative to opening 12, angular brackets 38 are fixed to the board by rivets 39 or other means. The upward extending end of bracket 38 is apertured to receive studs 230 at either end of the bottom of the opening. To remove the circuit board 36. the nut 32 need only be twisted 90 from the position shown in FIG. 4, whereupon the nut and bracket 38 may be removed.

When the bezel is in position an opening in the panel is finished off and ornamented. The digital readout tubes are visible through the rectangular opening in the bezel and through the lens.

lclaim:

l. A bezel structure comprising a bezel shaped to fit through said panel opening and having a peripheral flange to overlap the margin of the outside of said panel opening and having a bezel opening smaller than said panel opening, said bezel formed with a plurality of studsidisposed around said bezel opening, a retainer larger than said panelopening and formed with a retainer opening in registry with said bezel opening, said retainer formed with holes to receive said studs and shaped to fit against the inside of said panel'around said panel opening, and retaining means engaging said studs and said retainer to hold said structure in place relative to said panel opening with said flange fitting against the outside of said panel and said retainer fitting against the inside said panel.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which said bezel has an outside approximately congruent to said panel opening and fitting inside said panel opening. I

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which said bezel is formed with a bevel converging inward from the outside of said bezel and terminating at said bezel opening on the inner face of said bezel.

' 4. A structure according to claim 1 in which said bezel is formed with a shallow recess around the inside of said bezel surrounding said bezel opening and which further comprises a lens slightly larger than said bezel opening fitting into said recess, said retainer opening slightly smaller than said lens, said retainer engaging the back of said lens to retain said lens in said recess.

5. A structure according to claim 1 in which said retaining means is a plurality of push-on nuts.

position said circuit board and tube relative to said bezel opening. 

